Emergency
by bloodyamore
Summary: Riku just wanted to get away from Ansem, he didn't know he'd find the Death Note. And he certainly didn't know how far some people would go to get it back.
1. Pseudo Escape

_Author's Note: Good Luck... This is a Death Note/Kingdom Hearts crossover - requested by a friend, and I'll do my best to make it sane. At any rate, tell me if you enjoyed it._

_**Emergency**_

_1. Pseudo Escape_

The rain was pouring down in torrents. If Riku had been any weaker, he'd have washed away by now. But for now he kept trudging on with what energy he still had. _I have to get away_; the thought was a mantra, screaming in his head as he glanced about in paranoia.

He glanced through silver bangs, utterly convinced Ansem was right behind him, lurking just outside his vision, in the murky shadows all around him.

Who knew the darkness Riku had come to accept, and even admire, could ever be so frightening? He was vaguely surprised at himself when no scream escaped his lips as he crashed into the ground.

Looking around instinctively, he let out a breath in relief. Whatever tripped him, it hadn't been a creature of the darkness. There were no heartless in sight. Just a thin black book that the rain had washed under his feet, making him fall. Riku sat up quickly, snatching up the offending item as he rushed to a building's side. The lights on the awning above were comforting, like little stars shining bright in the rain.

Riku felt safer than he had in a long time as he stood in the light, shadows out of reach. Then he looked at writing on the notebook's black cover: _Death Note. _

That peaceful feeling – Shattered. He blinked a few times, one part of him attempting to fight off the renewing fear, the other urging him to laugh. Laugh at this notebook made to scare him, laugh at the fact he was so scared – and Riku didn't _get_ scared. But most of all… laugh because the idea of him actually escaping this city of darkness was **utterly hilarious**.

He shook himself, getting rid of his pre-insanity symptoms. All I have to do is make it to the edge of town. Then I can teleport. If I break now then _He_ wins.

Riku composed himself, sitting down under the awning, happy to be out of the rain. He could do this. He could escape. All he'd have to do is keep his cool.

Easier said than done.

Riku glanced down at the book, the _Death Note_ as it was titled, and shivered. Hastily he threw it, waiting for the water to carry it off.

After a few seconds he recovered the notebook, wondering if it wasn't the best idea to throw something with the word 'death' in it where Ansem might be able to find it.

Ansem wanted so many dead, and besides, Riku's scent was already on the damn thing.

Sighing gloomily, he flipped open the book, dimly wondering if it might be cursed.

The first page wasn't what he expected. What he _had _expected was some sort of death threat, or a demented chain-mail letter.

What he got was a list of instructions:

**_Death Note _**

**_How to Use It _**

**_1_**

_-the human whose name is written in this Death Note shall die._

_-this note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in mind when writing his/her name. Therefore people sharing the same name will not be affected. _

_-if the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen._

_-if the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack._

_-After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds._

_-  
_

Riku stared. It was fake. It had to be fake. Unless… he shook his head.

If Riku knew one thing, it was that some of the worst things in the world turned out to be real. So, unless proven, he was going to treat this notebook like the real deal, just in case.

As the night droned on, he had the nagging urge to try it out. To write someone's name. Just once. And then it hit him – Ansem.

But … Ansem wasn't human; he was something much worse, a heartless. So the book wouldn't work, right?

But what if I used his real name? His human name? Wasn't it Xehanort?

Just drop it Riku, it wouldn't work anyway.

But his mind wouldn't drop it; only try to find a way around the problem of Ansem's species.

What about Maleficent? He thought. The witch was a horrid shade of green, and her head seemed to have horns sprouting out (though it could just be a headdress), but despite her grotesque appearance, she was _mostly_ human, wasn't she?

His mind reeled at the possibilities, hell, even the _idea_, that he could kill her by simply writing her name down in a book.

But even if it did work, how would Riku know?

----

Riku pushed white strands away from his face, scribbling furiously, despite the fact he still had about 6 more minutes to get it down.

A sudden urge to giggle hit him as he finished writing. He closed the Death Note, convinced nothing would happen.

And nothing did happen. At least, not for a few minutes. But then he heard it. A gut wrenching howl, followed by the sound of a castle's bricks breaking apart and falling to the ground.

Riku peered cautiously around the corner of the building, up toward Hollow Bastion's darkest castle. A purple-black dragon of huge proportions had just bust through the castle's top and was flying toward the city. Toward him.

Paranoia swept over him in tidal waves. Ansem must've sent her out to finish him. They knew what he was doing, and they were going to show him how you really kill someone.

He couldn't help it, as soon as Maleficent was near, he bolted.

Riku regretted the rash move as soon as she swooped after him.

Just as he darted into an alley, he heard another _thump_. A large, heavy sounding _thump. _And then harsh, ragged breathing. Again, Riku peaked around the corner, only to see the dragon collapsed on the ground, having what seemed to be an asthma attack.

Maleficent was shrinking, becoming more human and less dragon, until she lay there, in her weakest form drawing in feeble breaths.

Riku no longer tried to stay hidden, now observing the witch with sick fascination. She looked like she was dying.

And after a few more raspy breathes, she was.

He walked up to the motionless form, nudging her onto her back with his toe. Maleficent was… dead.

It had to be a trick. Women like her didn't just die. And they came back if they did.

Riku looked around, suddenly suspicious that this had all just been a trap. That Ansem had sent the Death Note himself. Just to lure Riku out.

And when Riku heard the _swoosh_ of dark portals, saw the masses of heartless emerging, he knew that was exactly what had happened.

He sprinted off, not stupid enough to stay a second time, racing for a place neither light nor dark.

He ran until he reached something like a cliff. Beyond it was nothing, nothing but space, and beyond that, other worlds. He was at the edge of Hollow Bastion.

Riku jumped, creating a door to the dark realm as he did so.

But what he fell into looked unlike any part of the dark realm he'd ever been to before.

Everything around him was barren, barren and sandy. But the weirdest and most unconventional part: this strange place was bright. Not in a heavenly way, in a desert-like way. Either way, it wasn't the realm of darkness.

A hand like a mummy's grabbed his bare shoulder and spun him around. Riku nearly fell over as his eyes met jewel-y pupils. The _thing_ faintly resembled a dead Indian, and only _faintly_. Mostly it just looked like a zombie, a miss-proportioned, mummified zombie with a feather headdress and jewels for eyes.

"What're you gaping at? You're the human here." The thing_ spoke_. It could actually talk. And its voice reminded him of a heartless hissing.

Riku stared, and then regained some composure, asking, "Where am I?"

The thing just laughed. "Shinigami Realm, how'd you _get_ here?"

The silverette blinked, he'd heard that word before. 'Shinigami'… didn't that mean God of death? Oh dear…

Did I die or something? But all I did was teleport… Riku glanced down at his hands. He was still clutching the Death Note.

The Shinigami seemed to realize that too. Because it reached for it, trying to snatch the book as it spoke. "How did you get that?"

Riku backed away as it continued trying to get the notebook. Wherever he was, he'd gotten there with the Death Note. If the Shinigami took it, Riku might never be able to get back home.

He ran, for the third time that night. No idea where he was headed. But there was a dome shape in the distance. That would have to do.

As he reached the sphere he noticed more of these odd looking Shinigami, and they noticed him too, looks of fright and surprise etched on their faces. Not that Riku could tell.

There was something inside the dome, almost like it was a window. He saw a sprawling city below, and in a split second decided to jump into the sphere.

He was falling down, toward the cement covered earth. But at least there was a city below him now, something familiar. He created another dark door, this time with a destination in mind.

He came out of the darkness into a little alley; it was covered in graffiti and smelled like trash. But it was undoubtedly human. Riku cautiously walked out to the sidewalk. It was overflowing with people, regular people.

There were no Shinigami amongst them. No heartless either. He was finally safe, at least for now.

----x----

Light was distraught. He couldn't be calm about it any longer; he started tearing up his room after carefully checking for cameras that could be left from last month's surveillance._ It_ wasn't there. He was devastated, and well beyond angry. _**Where the hell was it?!**_

Ryuk floated through the wall, settling on Light's bed as he munched on an apple. "What's up?" He could've sworn Light's eyes flashed red when he looked at him.

Light's eyes narrowed, and his look almost scared Ryuk. "It's gone."

Ryuk blinked. "What is?"

Light looked down, composing himself externally, before looking back up at Ryuk as calmly as he could muster. "The Death Note," he said in a strangely even tone.

Ryuk didn't quite process that. "Come again?"

"The Death Note is gone."

Ryuk stopped eating, a slight frown on his face. "How are you gonna find it?"

Light smiled in a way that made Ryuk really wonder if Light wasn't the _real_ God of Death between the two of them.


	2. Friends Stick Together

_A/N: I'm continuing this to prove I can write good if I try. (and now that I wrote that I probably jinxed myself) So knock on wood for me, kay?_

_Oh yeah, and would it kill ya to __**Review**__? (for hugs and cookies maybe :3 )_

_

* * *

  
_

_**Emergency**_

_2. Friends Stick Together_

When the castle's top blew off, Ansem knew something was wrong. He hurried after Maleficent, who was acting like a puppet on strings. And when he saw Riku running from the scene, he was instantly aware of who was at fault.

"Get him," Ansem hissed quickly, glancing down at his accomplice as millions of shadows appeared to carry out his order. Dark portals blacked out all light in the area. He kicked the witch, wondering if she was really dead. No response. Damn.

---

Kairi watched with excited eyes as Ansem left the castle. Finally. This was her chance. That psychopath had locked her up, using her as bait so the key bearers would come to this hell hole to 'save' her. They were the ones who needed saving, _they _were the targets. If she could just get away, Riku and Sora would be so much safer. Ansem wouldn't have her to bargain with.

A few moments after the bastard left, his heartless minions followed, all portalling in unison. She gulped, diving into the darkness after them.

Kairi came out in a dark street, ice cold water drenching her almost immediately. It was even darker outside than in the castle.

When her eyes adjusted she realized all the darkness around her were actually heartless, and the mismatched specks of light their eyes. But almost as soon as she could see them, they began disappearing. As the landscape became cleared she noticed the old-fashioned buildings, half-torn and thoroughly lifeless sitting alongside the streets. And just ahead of her, beyond the heartless patches that hadn't disappeared yet stood Ansem, his expression cold and eyes venomous.

_Escapes are never easy, huh? _ She mused to herself, diving after a few shadows as they sunk into the realm of darkness.

---

The next hour was a haze, defined by the random shocks of bright light followed by overwhelming darkness and a sick feeling in her chest as she followed the shadows through their portals, away from Hollow Bastion and the monster that controlled it.

The traveling ended abruptly however, when the shadows realized they were being followed. They turned on Kairi like starving dogs to a turkey. She shot out of the darkness, into a forest, and started running harder than she ever had. Kairi could've easily beaten Riku and Sora in a race if she'd ever cared to work this hard on the islands.

The redhead ran until she couldn't hear any hisses, couldn't see any black, and felt the bright hot sun shining down on her through the lightening forage.

Up ahead the sunlight was even more vivid, she was almost in the clear. Kairi wobbled forward with the last of her strength, collapsing once she reached open sky.

---

Matt looked up from his PSP, looking for the flash of red and pink that just crossed his peripheral. He pulled his goggles up onto his forehead, scanning the area. Nothing.

_Hmm. Maybe I'm just seeing things again. _"Hey Mello! Did you see something moving over there?" The redhead pointed to the empty field bordering the evergreen forest behind Wammy's house.

The blonde looked up from his textbook, sighing. Why did he make Matt his friend? Out of all the geniuses in Wammy's, he just _had_ to find the crazy one. "No, you've been staring at that screen too long…"

Matt looked out to the field, unconvinced. But for Mello's sake, he'd drop it.

At least for a few minutes.

"I'm gonna go check it out."

Mello looked up, annoyed. Then, deciding it was okay as long as he didn't have to go, just returned to his book, nodding.

The gamer jumped up, stuffing the PSP into already an already full pocket, running off toward the trees. He stopped midway, tripping over something large before crashing into fallen pine needles.

Matt looked over his shoulder, ready to kick whatever had made him fall. His plans were canceled however, when his eyes landed on a cute girl with crimson hair. He stood up, mentally cursing himself for having considered _kicking her. _

Cautiously he approached, tilting his head when he realized she was sleeping. Or knocked out…

His fanboy mind immediately fabricated a possible scenario and he rushed back to tell Mello.

"Mel! Mello! A princess is passed out in the field! Hurry up, we gotta help her!" he grabbed the blonde's arm and yanked him up, pulling him vehemently towards the field. "I wonder if we're gonna be given a quest like Link or something…" he mumbled to himself as his friend struggled to escape.

"Matt! Stop!" Mello yanked himself out of Matt's death grip, glaring so intensely Matt actually shut up for a second. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There is a princess unconscious in the field." He said slowly, as if talking to a toddler.

Mello glared. Nothing was stupider than talking to Mello as if he was. The blonde almost strangled Matt, but it might be a hate-crime to kill someone this dumb. "Matt…" he said in the same slow manner, "How do you know she's a princess? Did she have a crown?"

Matt paused, his excitement finally started to fade. "Well, no…"

Mello nodded consolingly, knowing Matt's just-made-up-dreams were now crushed. "She's probably just a runaway…"

The red head refused to agree. He had been so hoping a princess had fallen from the sky, and that he was going to be the hero in a great adventure. Couldn't Mello have _pretended_ I was right, just for a second? But no, he had to go and ruin it with his deductive skillz…

The gamers' mental battle of wills was one-sided, and eventually he spoke. "C'mon, we should still make sure she's okay. Try and wake her up, y'know?"

Mello allowed himself to be led along this time, staring when there actually was a girl.

"What, you didn't believe me?"

Mello was silent.

"Bastard…"

"Don't insult me Matt, you're crazy, it's insane to take you seriously." The blonde looked down at the sleeping girl. She had a pink leather dress with a zipper down every direction. "Maybe she ran away from her pimp. "

Matt tilted his head. "She's too pretty for that…"

"Pretty people can be dirty Matt."

Matt thought she looked pure… though with a dress like that, it was probably a feat to _stay_ pure…

He grabbed her around the waist, trying to pull her up. His friend just watched him. " Mello, help me carry her inside."

The blonde's face said 'do I have to?'

A puppy dog pout was his response.

"Fine."

They set her on the beaten red sofa in the playroom, abandoned because of its usual resident: Near. The albino was not shocked when they walked in carrying the young woman; he'd watched the entire escapade through the windows.

Needless to say Mello was paranoid when Near came up and asked them (as if it were his business) "What's her name?" in his usual monotone.

"Were you spying on us?" Mello questioned. As if it was a crime.

"No. I was watching you."

Mello gaped, as if **watching **was any different.

Matt ignored the odd words of his peers. "We don't know yet. She's asleep."

Near curled his hair. "So how should we wake her up?"

"Not your business Near, _go play_," Mello nearly growled.

The redhead shrugged. "Do you think she'd wake up if we kiss her…" he mumbled to himself. By we, he meant him.

The other two just stared. Leave it to Matt to go into fairytale mode all over again.

---

All the way back in Hollow Bastion, heart of all darkness in the universe, stood Sora. He was alone for once, no Donald or Goofy to help. They were with Mickey, defending their own castle for once. Ansem just _had _to come back. Riku would really have to figure out how to get rid of him permanently…

Something was off when the brunette arrived. It was dark, evil looking, and void of humans like last lime Ansem took control. But there was one big difference: no heartless.

Sora walked down the deserted streets, hood up as the rain pelted him, keyblade summoned, poised to attack. But after a few minutes of nothing, not even a snarl from a distance, he lowered the key with wonder.

"Where is everybody?"

His pace changed to running as he headed away from the castle, toward _any_ sound, _anything_ to let him know he wasn't alone.

He rushed down an alley, jumped over a fence, tripped on a stick, then finally Sora heard something. Pacing.

He quietly (as a klutz can) stood up, peeking around a building corner. Ansem had his back to the keybearer, walking forward anxiously. When he turned to walk the other way Sora dodged behind the broken wall.

He stayed hidden like that for ages, unwilling to attack just in case it was actually Riku.

Then a heartless showed up, a big dark dog looking thing with red flames around it. "Did you find him?" Ansem was irritated.

"We could not." He paused only long enough to let Ansem take it in, but spoke before his master could destroy him. "But we managed to figure out the World and City Riku's in though."

At this Ansem smiled. A sharp, blood curdling smile. "Go on."

"Earth. In Tokyo, Japan."

The heartless disappeared, no longer needed. Ansem snapped his fingers, summoning the rest of the searchers.

Sora yelped and hid in a nearby crate when so many appeared.

"Riku has been found. Resume what you were doing before this incident." His servants looked at him curiously. "I'm fetching him myself." The smile got much worse, and the world seemed to darken at those words.

"Riku…" Sora prayed that his friend wouldn't be found. Not when Ansem's smile suggested a punishment the modern era wouldn't dare consider.

The shadows disappeared, leaving Ansem standing alone as the rain stopped. He created a doorway into the darkness ahead of him, entering leisurely, smile glued to his face, deadly intent in his eyes.

Sora threw open the crate, running after Ansem without a second thought.

He was willing to do anything to keep Riku safe.

---

They came out into a bright, crowded street. The light hit Ansem like a million knives, and he ran just as people noticed the dark cloud he'd come from. Sora received shocked stares as he tumbled out of the dark mist after him, barreling into a crowd of people's feet. "Hello!" He said enthusiastically, trying to look over them for Ansem.

Every which way he looked were people, none of which had white hair… then he saw one. He ran forward, keyblade drawn, ready to strike. They turned, white hair resting atop an old lady who looked horrified and at the same time entertained by the sight of him.

He froze.

The old woman giggled, now that she knew he wasn't going to attack. "My, my… didn't anyone ever tell you not to point keys at your elders."

He shifted the keyblade behind him. "Hehe… sorry." His face red as he ran off.

Sora's keyblade dematerialized as he ran through Tokyo. The longer he ran, the farther he felt from anything he knew. No Ansem, no heartless, and he couldn't find Riku either. Slowing to a walk, he trudged down the road, passing less and less people.

"I am not giving you apples," Light hissed in a whisper. "We're in the middle of a crisis, remember?"

"You're not the only one," Sora mumbled as he walked past.

Light paused for a moment, looking at the brunette through the corner of his eyes. He was dressed like a video game character. _Just ignore him._

Sora noticed the pause though, and took that as an invitation to walk back toward Light just as he started moving again.

The keybearer rushed after him, running to catch up. "Hey, what's the rush?"

Light glared, "I'm late for work," he lied.

Sora looked down sadly. "Oh."

Kira began walking again.

"Wait!" Sora caught up again. "Have you seen Ansem? He's a white haired heartless that's killed tons of people! ....But I bet you already knew that…" the brunette rambled.

Light looked at him curiously. "Uh… no. Why?"

"He's after my friend Riku!"

Light just raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

Sora glared. "Of course I am! Why would I lie about something as big as killing?"

Ryuk glanced at Light. "Kuku… yeah, he's not you."

Light sighed. "Do you need me to help you?" I'll take him to a mental hospital, then he'll be safe and out of my hair. I wonder what Ryuzaki will think if I tell him about this…

Sora smiled with his whole face. "You'll help? Thank you so much!" He hugged Light as if he were a teddy. "Thank you!"

Ryuk just laughed. Then added casually, "Y'know, I can't tell when he's supposed to die…"

Light froze, looking down at the boy who'd just fallen into his life. Fate worked in odd ways sometimes.


	3. Road Trip

_A/N: Oh my… lookit! I haven't given up on this! I'm actually gonna try to write more. *gulp* Good luck readers! (I have __**so**__ much confidence in myself…)_

_Also, constructive criticism (not flames) would be greatly appreciated, seeing how this is an experiment. _

_Oh yes, and I promise, no more cliché falling…_

_

* * *

  
_

_**Emergency**_

_3. Road Trip!_

_-  
_

"Roger's going to kill us when he finds out we let a stranger inside…"

"Hunh…?" Kairi blinked her heavy eyelids, awoken by all the strange voices around her. She pushed herself up slightly, getting a better look at the people who must've carried her in.

The girl that had spoken had a honey colored bob, and a scowl Ansem could hardly compete with. The other girl was sitting on the floor, draped in clinically white clothing, staring at her with black, soulless eyes. Then there was the redhead sitting in front of her, a great big smile on his face that was as warm as then sun as Sora's.

"Morning sleepy head!" the redhead greeted, happy to see her awake.

The other two simply stared. It was unnerving.

Kairi focused all her attention on the boy in front of her, a bit afraid of his companions. "Hello." She said back, wondering why he looked so shocked. "Um, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh! Uh," he shook his head, then smiled at her again, "I'm just relieved there's nothing wrong with you…, " She gave him an odd look of her own, which he misinterpreted as anger (Too many years spent with Mello). "I mean, you were asleep in a field…"

She nodded, "Don't worry; I'd have done the same thing…" She grinned back at the boy, who seemed to glow at the gesture. "So, who are you guys?"

"I'm M-, "The blond chick slapped a hand over the boy's mouth, dragging him to the doorway, the albino quickly crawling after them into the hall.

Kairi stared at the door as it was slammed shut. "What an odd bunch…"

Only when Near closed the door did Mello uncover his friend's mouth. "What do you think you're doing?" The blonde hissed quietly, "You can't tell her our names!"

Matt looked at ease. "Why not? They're aliases anyway."

Mello looked at Near for help, something he did rarely. The albino complied. "For the same reason L does not tell people he is L, even though that is an alias too."

Mello nodded, giving the gamer a stern look. "This isn't a game, its real life; you can't give out stuff like that. It puts us in danger."

Matt, still, looked unaffected. "There's a difference guys. L's famous, we're not. No one even knows we exist outside of Wammy's."

Mello and Near looked at each other. They couldn't argue with that.

"Now if you'll excuse me," The redhead said quietly, opening the door back up and strolling back to the girl as quick as he could.

The other two raced after him (well, Mello did, Near wobbled).

"Sorry about that," Matt sat down next to her. "By the way, I'm Matt." His smile was back.

Again, Kairi looked only at him, the blonde's scowl even worse than before. "I'm Kairi, nice to meet you."

The blond spoke up, annoyed by the slowness of the conversation, "Why were you in the field?"

Kairi stared at her, shocked by the deepness of her voice. After a moment of the blonde's glare though, the question caught up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was running. And I just collapsed when I got here, I was so exhausted…"

The blonde had a look of 'I told you so' that she was directing at Matt.

"What were you running from?" Matt asked eagerly.

She turned back to him. "I was running from heartless."

"Heartless?" The albino wondered.

Matt's eyes got big like dinner plates. "Heartless?" A tone of amazement and disbelief.

Kairi nodded, "Do you know what they are?"

Matt blinked, all of a sudden looking just as cynical as the other two. "Of course I do. " He was almost glaring at Kairi now. "Are you a cosplayer?"

She blinked. "What's a cosplayer?" She asked innocently.

The gamer looked as if he'd been hit upside the head with a pan.

The blonde shook her head…"Lesson one on how to offend a freak…"

"You've never heard of cosplay!?"

Kairi shook her head. "No."

Now Matt had a dagger shoved through his chest. _Wait! Don't panic… this means she's the real deal. _"Ah." He smirked. "Are you a princess?"

"Yes."

"An important one?"

Kairi tilted her head. "What do you mean by that?"

He shook his head, wrong question. "What are you princess of?"

She looked down. "I'm… not sure if I should tell you." Slowly, Kairi looked up. Her defenses melted when she saw the mushy pout on Matt's face that she'd so far only seen her best friend pull off. "Okay… I'm princess of Radiant Gardens." Silence. The blonde's eyes rolled. "I'm a princess of Light."

Bingo! Matt did a little dance in his head, which was inflating at a dangerous rate. This was going to be an awesome day…"So, do you need our help?"

Kairi stood up, debating whether or not they were trustworthy. Matt, sure, he seemed like the kind of guy that would befriend you and help in a strange land like so many did for Sora… but the other two. _Well, they're weird. At the very least, they probably won't be surprised if they find out the truth. And Matt doesn't have to… I suppose they're the only chance I've got. _"As a matter a fact, I'm looking for my best friends. All I know is that one of 'em in Toeck-eo, Japan." _Ha! Take that heartless, and you think I wasn't paying attention…_ "Are we in Toeckeo?"

"It's _Tokyo_," Near corrected. "Tokyo, Japan."

"And no lady, we're in England," Mello interrupted.

Matt grinned, "But we can get you to Tokyo if you want."

---

Matt had gone off his rocker, more than usual. That was the only explanation for his uncanny willingness to help a stranger. At least that's what Mello figured, Matt wouldn't try to go against **every** rule they'd been raised on just because she was _pretty_, right?

The trio had dragged Kairi to room M, the only bedroom in Wammy's that was shared, and by Mello and Matt of all people. She'd been told to stay there while they went to go get things settled (Matt had done all the talking). Then they'd split, Mello attempting in vain to ditch Near by telling him to wait in his own room (next door over, incidentally) until he'd talked some sense into the gamer.

But Near stayed glued to them like a leech, even following as Matt dragged Mello into a nearby broom closet, hoping to come up with a plan for 'Operation-Get-Princess-To-Tokyo'.

Mello sighed as Matt talked, hitting him like any decent person would do when the redhead finished speaking.

"Hey!" Matt rubbed his head, glaring.

"Sorry, but you're speaking nonsense. We're not helping her. She's crazy. There's no such thing as heartless."

Matt glared. "Yes there are, they're..." _lie! I need a convincing lie!_ "They're an assassination organization."

Mello sighed. "You're lying."

"How would you know?"

"Because L told me to research murder syndicates two years ago, and 'heartless' weren't on the list."

"That's cause they're a new group," Matt defended.

Then Near spoke. _Why did Near, Wammy's own Devil child, have to speak up?_ "Matt, its useless arguing. You just admitted a moment ago that you were lying."

Twitch. Now he knew why Mello always wanted to strangle the little brat.

"Why are you so determined to try and help this girl?" Mello asked.

The redhead sighed… time to fess up. Well, kind of. "Fine, I'll tell you. I know for a fact Kairi is a princess. I also know for a fact that heartless are real. They're not an organization exactly, but they do kill. And no matter what either of you, of anyone else in this world says, there is no way I'm going to stop trying to help her. She's the key to so many bigger things…" He trailed off, before finishing,"I won't tell you two why I know all of this, or how. Or even why I want to get involved. But I'm letting you know right now: whether you guys help me or not, I'm **getting** Kairi to Tokyo."

Mello sighed. When Matt was set on something, he didn't give up until he got it. "Matt…" _Why won't you tell me? _ "Fine, I'm in."

The redhead lit up, grateful he had a friend like Mello.

----

The halls were quiet, too quiet.

Roger glanced one way, then the other, sighing. The kids in this place were geniuses; they had better things to do then _be in class._ So then, why could he find no one skipping?

It meant only one thing: One of the M's was up to something. Like turning off the cameras or preparing a prank...

He grumbled, setting off for the security room. Those two would **not **jeopardize the security of Wammy's House, not again.

Matt smirked, "He's gone."

The two prodigies behind him were uncharacteristically laid back for people used to giving orders.

The leader of this operation, Matt, crept up to Roger's office, hurrying his companions.

Mello pulled a hairpin out of his pocket when they reached the door, fumbling with the lock until it gave.

"I didn't know you could pick locks," Near looked at Mello with hidden admiration as they entered the plush room.

Then the albino focused on the redhead, confused as to why they broke into Roger's office in the first place. How would this room help them get to Tokyo?

Matt grinned, opening up the laptop humming quietly on the desk, fully prepared to book them on the closest flight to Japan.

"Um, Matt… You need money," The blonde reminded him.

"No worries, I already know his credit card and pin numbers," Matt smirked, "How do you think I paid for all those candy canes at Christmas?"

It only took a few minutes for Roger to reach the cameras, and immediately the problem became clear. "I hate children…" Roger stormed back to his office, determined to corner the little scoundrels. _I'll teach them not to break into my office… oh, why is it always the smart ones? And now Near's with them too…_

"You hear something?" Mello whispered.

Near nodded, loud footsteps.

"Finished?"

Matt bit his lip."Almost."

"Well hurry up," Mello ordered, pulling the chair out from under Matt, planning to barricade the door. "Near, help me," he gestured to the heavy chair he was pushing.

The albino crawled over, attempting miserably to help move the thing. It was heavy as a truck...

They heard footsteps outside, then banging on the door. "Open up! You three have ten seconds to open the door! Or I'll – "

Matt slammed the laptop shut, "Done!"

Mello jumped up, yanking Near to his feet and dragging them both to the window. "Do you understand how much trouble we're in for helping you?" Mello hissed, grabbing Matt's collar.

The gamer nodded quickly.

"Good. I expect future compensation." Mello smiled, opening up the window. A tree was just outside, bare of leaves because of the season. They were two stories up.

Yes, Matt should be grateful. Not many people would jump out a window for him.

Mello grabbed onto a branch, easily pulling himself onto the tree. He held out his hand and assisted the other two across, just as Roger began breaking down his own door.

"We're gonna jump," Mello leaped off, now with less than eight feet to fall. He landed on his feet, frozen a second from the shock before looking up. "C'mon."

Matt gulped, closing his eyes before nearly falling down. He slid down the tree and only opened his eyes when he felt Mello dusting pieces of bark off of him.

"Now you," Mello looked up at Near, impatient.

Though unafraid, the porcelain boy was not stupid. He was not built for the outdoors, or even for living without aid. So jumping off of a tree almost a story up was not exactly recommended, or safe. Surely he would break something if he landed from such a height.

But the longer he stayed where he was, the worse Mello's expression became. Now the blonde was blatantly livid. "Hurry up!"

"I can't," Near stated blandly. "I'll get hurt."

Mello groaned, "So? Just jump."

Near did not move a muscle. "No. I'll break."

Even Mello and Matt could hear Roger pushing open the door, along the chair blocking it.

"I'll catch you! Hurry!"

Near shut his mind off, allowing himself to fall as he heard the chair blockading the door crash to the wooden floor inside.

He fell into Mello's arms, just as he'd wound up in Mello's crazy solution, and felt himself being carried away.

Near blinked open dulled grey eyes. They were running to the forest, and Matt was dashing back toward Wammy's, around the view of Roger's window, no doubt going back for Kairi. He looked up at Mello's face, his eyes full of determination.

As they reached the cover of the woods, Mello changed course, turning and heading for a large evergreen, dodging under its thick branches and setting Near down at its base. Near watched as the blonde paced for a moment, peaking in between the needles for Matt, before finally coming to a stop next to him.

Mello's blue eyes were hazy, worried probably. About Matt, and he reasons behind his sudden urge to become involved.

"Why did you agree to go along with it?" Near mused aloud, half-hoping Mello would respond.

"Cause we're friends," with a genuine smile, Mello stated it as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Near twisted a strand of snowy hair, eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

----

Five hours later, in downtown London stood two redheads, a blonde, and a very pale boy wearing a black wig. They were walking down the crowded streets wearily, hiding under the hoods of the coats Matt had brought along for the trip.

"Why are we hiding our faces?" Kairi wondered aloud, the two Ms quickly shushing her.

Near, glaring at the black mop of bangs in front of his eyes that he wasn't allowed to curl, answered her in an irritated tone. "We are not supposed to give out our identities easily, and since we have connections to certain people… Kira, nor anyone else, should get the chance to know our face. Also, if you're really a princess," his look suggested he didn't think she was one at all, "then it would not be wise to let people know you were walking among them."

Mello smirked at the porcelain boy's frustrated face.

Near turned his glare onto the blonde, "Why is it I'm the only one wearing a wig?"

"Because most people don't have white hair," Near returned his gaze on the opaque bangs, Mello won this time…

"Who's Kira?"Kairi asked, violet eyes curious. The trio was rather shocked by both her question, and the lack of fear in her expression. She raised an eyebrow, hand on her hip, "What?"

Mello groaned. "You don't know who Kira is?"

"He's a mass murder that kills criminals and those that get in his way," stated Near matter-o-factly.

"Oh." Kairi let the words sink in. "So he's a bad good guy?"

Mello shook his head furiously, "No, he's not." The blonde's tone was dark, and his eyes were piercing ice, freezing her as he glowered.

Matt finished his friend's sentence quietly, "He's just a murderer."

Near nodded. "He thinks of himself as a god, with the way he does things." The albino's monotone made the other two's intensities on the subject seem that much larger.

Kairi looked almost afraid, _finally. _"Oh." She was silent for a moment, following the others when they began to trudge again. "But why do you guys think he's…" she wanted to say evil, but arguing with them wouldn't get her anywhere. "How do you know how he operates?"

Mello spoke up first. "We're trained to find out that sort of stuff."

"L," Matt blurted out, before anyone could stop him. "It's because of L, he's investigating Kira."

Near looked at the gamer dangerously, but Mello seemed to have reasoned that Kairi knew nothing, and it couldn't hurt to enlighten her. Someone who doesn't even know who _Kira _is obviously isn't a threat to Wammy's kin. Or L.

"L is going to bring Kira to justice," Mello stated with pride. "But everyone knows that."

"Well I didn't…" Kairi mumbled.

-

They reached the airport thirty minutes before their flight, but time was not an issue, considering the heavy delays popping up.

"Everyone remember who they're supposed to be?" Matt questioned quietly. Kairi and Near nodded, Mello grumbed out an affirmative. "Buddy," Matt put an arm around the blond, "Not that I doubt your abilities, but try to sound like you're supposed to, kay?"

Mello sighed, nodding as he glared at the redhead.

Their passports were checked, and no one dared to suspect they were anything less than real.

According to their story, Mello was Angelica Mathews, a just-turned-legal taking her cousins, two redheaded twins and an emo, to Tokyo to celebrate. And when they left at 6:34 pm, that was the only trace they left, and conisdering no one at the airport had given them a hard time, it was doubtful the Angelica and her cousins could even be connected to them...

Too bad the prodigies forgot to calculate one major aspect: their hasty exit from Wammy's.

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry I ended at such a spot, so much was going to happen in this chapter, but it ended up getting so long… so the events have been moved to the next chapter. ^-^ Maybe it became so long because I love the Wammy boys…_

_Oh yeah! Sorry, I included falling in this chapter too, hehe. I guess I can't escape it._

_Sorry for the irregularity in writing style, I hope it didn't make things less interesting. Please review, it lets me know this story should continue on…_


	4. Hearts come to Light

_A/N: Wow. Um. Hopefully I won't make this one too long._

_I'm should be packing right now…_

_Also, reviews are nice. *hint hint* like raspberry coffee...  
_

_

* * *

  
_

**Emergency**

_4. Hearts come to Light_

Roger got in too late. The little monsters were gone, his window ajar. The old man sighed, pulling his recliner up to the desk and plopping down onto it, pressing the intercom button. "Mello, Near, Matt, report to the office immediately. Faculty, if you see them, please escort them to my office." He turned it off, leaning back dejectedly. Whatever those three were up to, they'd gotten away with it.

He opened up his notebook PC, determined to file this distraction onto their permanent records. Mozilla Firefox was up, and in the address bar: orbitz .com. The screen before him was confirming the purchase of four tickets to Tokyo.

Roger shot up, fuming. _Those bastards… _

He glanced at the clock, 5:30. Their plane was scheduled for 5:50. The three smartest kids at Wammy's would be departing from England in twenty minutes…

_Watari is going to kill me._

He made a mad dash for the airport, not wasting time trying to gather help. When he reached it, the trio, nor anyone else from Wammy's, could be spotted. _Who else is with them? _ Roger wondered as he searched, begging anyone who worked there to help look.

Finally, at 6:24, someone said they saw a blonde with a bowl haircut in all black, _thank you Lord, _two redheads, and a boy that seemed to match the ever elusive profile of L. _How odd… but definitely my bunch._

But Roger was too late. He felt a seeping feeling in his stomach, not unlike despair, when he heard the announcement that the plane for Tokyo had just taken off. "Damnit."

---

Ryuzaki sipped at his black coffee, black eyes staring into the many monitors set up.

"Look! Sakura TV's at it again!" Matsuda exclaimed, excited eyes focusing on the third monitor, turning up the volume. Demegawa was announcing another Kira report, containing 'threatening words from Kira to the world'.

"How scary…" Aizawa mumbled.

L shook his head. "It's just another fake report."

Soichiro narrowed his eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

The spiky haired man had a bored look on his face. "Because Kira would not threaten the public and ruin his image, and Demegawa did not state that it was real."

Matsuda lowered the volume, sighing gloomily, and he'd been so ready for a lead they could **use**.

Just then a cell phone began to ring. The members of the Japanese taskforce looked at Ryuzaki, all barely masking their annoyance. Why is it only he was aloud a phone?

L picked it up with his pointer and thumb, glancing quickly at the number calling. Immediately he flipped it open. "Hello?"

Roger's voice was ragged. "It's Mello and Matt again. But this time Near's with them." _Watari connected me with L, that bastard. Is it such bad news that he can't just tell L for me? _

"What happened?" Ryuzaki's expression was at once both anxious and confused. His successors had done something bad enough to contact him over, and Roger was informing him directly.

"They took a plane to Tokyo, and the flight hasn't landed yet. I think maybe they're coming to see you…" Roger could reason no other explanation for why they'd chosen to leave.

Ryuzaki's end was silent. Waiting for more information.

"There is one thing though. They bought _four _tickets. Someone is with them."

L's mind clicked the pieces together. "Perhaps it was an adult, so that no one would stop them from boarding without a guardian," he explained to Roger, coming up with a different reason in his head. _What if Kira found out about Wammy's house? And he's sending the children with the second Kira, as a means to kill me. After all, I would never refuse to help those three. And I have no option but confront them now that they're coming here… _He was reeling as Roger responded on the other end of the line.

"That makes sense." Of course it does, its L you're speaking to! "Anyway, do you think you could send them back when they get there? It won't help to have them interfering…"

L nodded; despite the fact only the task-force could see him. "Of course."

The line was silent for a moment before roger hung up, L followed suit.

The task force were staring at him, speculating who he could've been talking to. Ryuzaki decided quickly that he would not inform them of Wammy's house, then Kira may be enlightened as well. _If he doesn't already know._ So he lied. "My nephews are coming to Tokyo to see me."

If they hadn't already been staring... now some of their jaws dropped. "Staring is impolite," he informed them.

Matsuda shook his head, trying to stop gaping. "You have relatives?!"

L looked bored, "Of course. All people have relatives of sorts."

It seemed the task-force remained unconvinced. Matsuda, however, smiled and said, "How old are they?" like a blubbering woman ready to squeal.

Just then something happened to distract them, though it got L's full attention as well. Something was going down at Sakura TV.

---

Ansem dodged into the large building, praying for a break from the bright sun beating down on him like a sledge hammer. But the inside was just as bright, maybe even lighter. The ceiling was littered with long incandescent lights that burned his eyes when he examined them. Running again, he opened up doors along the stretching hall. Every one was just as bright as the other, possibly brighter. Then, at the end of the hall, upon opening the door, he saw darkness. Sweet, everlasting darkness.

He dashed inside, slamming closed the door. Eyelids blinked over his red eyes a few times, adjusting to the sudden blackness. In the middle of the room was an island of light that seemed even stronger than in the halls. He looked at it wearily, now aware of the silhouette of a man behind a desk. All the light seemed to be directed at him.

Ansem squinted, trying to make out the man's features, when it happened.

"Hey! Who're you?!" He heard people behind him shout in hushed whispers. The heartless glanced behind him, just as the group that said it barreled towards him. He swiped his hand through the air, causing waves of thick dark smoke to push them back toward the wall.

At that point, other people in the studio began to notice the strange white-haired intruder. Including the man behind the desk, Demegawa.

---

_"It looks as if someone has come to visit us? Someone powerful perhaps… Kira?"_ Demegawa stated on the monitor, seeming to be looking off to the side. L shook his head. "Great, another scam…"

_"My name is not Kira." _said a deep voice from off-screen. Matsuda stared as someone with long white hair and the most outrageous cut-up leather look walked halfway out of the shadows, looking at Demegawa with a bored stare.

Ryuzaki's eyes narrowed, and Soichiro's eyebrows. "What on Earth are they doing?" If this was a trick, it was a poorly executed one. Kira would not come on television, least of all dressed like _that._

_"I am Ansem."_ The white haired man waved his hand, and darkness seemed to flow off of it, knocking a few more people over off-camera. Unfortunately for Demegawa, one of the cameras and a couple of lights or two crashed to the floor as well.

They heard mumblings as the shooting crew scrambled to put the camera back into position and reposition the lights.

At the same time, _Ansem _walked closer to the desk, lights no longer pointing at it. _"And the way I see it, you don't seem to be anyone of importance."_ he drawled, looking at Demegawa unimpressed.

"He's got that right," Matsuda agreed.

Aizawa looked puzzled. "If this was an act, why would this guy diss Demegawa?"

L was thinking the same thing.

Then the lights came back on.

All at once three lights hit Demi and his guest. Ansem went mental. The light hit him like a paddle, and he fell to his knees.

Demegawa subtly motioned for his staff to turn on more lights, interested at the reaction.

_"Agh! No! Not… no… Light!" _Ansem tried to stand, but for some reason kept falling back down in spasms, almost as if he was having a heart attack.

"Maybe it is a stunt actually…"

Nevertheless, Matsuda guarded the TV, unwilling to let anyone turn down the volume until he was finished watching. And it's a good thing he did.

Dark smoke-like fluid came pouring out around Ansem; it looked gooey as it went flying toward the cameras.

Then, inevitably: **Sakura TV. Program has been interrupted. We appreciate your patience.**

The task force, along with L, didn't know what to make of what they'd just seen.

Soichiro spoke up first. "Maybe its best if we don't dwell on that… it was obviously organized by Demegawa if anybody, not Kira."

Ryuzaki said nothing, allowing the team to go back to their tasks, Aizawa turning down the third monitor again. Yet, again, his mind was throwing assumptions together. He picked up a sugar cube and ate it.

He said Light… _Light Yagami_… he seemed evil enough… he looked to be _dying_… But why would Kira kill him without killing Demegawa, the idiot embarrassing him. I'm probably looking into this too much, but to happen right after Roger calls… I should probably ask Light-kun about it.

But first, to deal problem number one.

Ryuzaki pulled up to the laptop in front of him on his wheely chair, stealthily checking the estimated time for his prodigies' flight.

He stood up after an hour, leaving for the 'bathroom'. Quickly he found Watari. "Do me a favor please? Go to the airport in three hours and wait. Near, Mello, and Matt are visiting, I'd like you to collect them and bring them to that café Light and I went to last month."

Watari nodded.

"Also, call me once you have them. I'd like to speak to Mello or Near before you take them anywhere."

After speaking to Wammy, L wondered into the hall, taking out his phone and dialing Light. He didn't like to wait…

---

Light's phone was off. He was home though, alone except for his newly acquired 'friend' and Ryuk.

"So, why are we here? I thought you had to work?" Sora flopped down onto his bed seemingly without a care in the world.

Light mentally chided himself for slipping up. It was just so agitating not to know where the Death Note was. Though, according to Ryuk, it may be closer than he thought. Maybe the brunette lying on his bed was not as clueless as Light thought, but was like Misa, another owner of a Death Note trying to find him… **no**, this kid, if he had a Note, he would be possesing Light's.

And that meant his treasure was close enough to touch, all he had to do was coax it from the boy.

"By the way," the keyblader smiled, "My name's Sora."

"I'm Light Yagami." Now how to tell if he's got my notebook?

"Thanks again for agreeing to help," the brunette sighed happily, things were starting to look brighter. "Now all we need is a plan…"

'_Yeah, a plan,'_ Light agreed mentally, '_a good one._'

He glanced at Ryuk as Sora stared at the ceiling, an idea suddenly sparking.

Kira opened up his wallet, taking out a paper he'd ripped from the Death Note. It had nothing written on it, not yet. But if Sora touched it, he'd be able to see Ryuk. If he'd touched a Death Note, then it wouldn't be his first encounter with a Shinigami, probably…

It was a pathetic plan. It probably wouldn't even work. "So, what's your last name?" Light asked casually. Might as well know, just in case I have to kill him.

"Hikari," he said carelessly. This kid is too trusting...

Kira smiled. This guy was no threat whatsoever. "Do you live nearby?"

Sora shot up, scaring Light. "No! I mean… I live really far away. I haven't been home in weeks…" He lay back down, sad.

So he's a runaway. A ghost of a smirk graced Kira's lips. I can allow him to touch the sheet. It won't be hard to kill him later.

He threw the paper at Sora, _oops_.

It feathered over his tanned skin before resting on the bed. Sora picked it up, about to hand it back to Light when he saw it.

Sora flew up again, super fast, keyblade seeming to appear out of no where. Light jumped up as well, he hadn't predicted a giant key, that was for sure.

Ryuk just laughed.

Sora ran forward, bounding off the bed, trying to slice Ryuk. The shocking part was when the golden-silver key actually hit him. "Ouch," Ryuk said, stunned.

Light's eyes bulged, _what happens if you kill a Shinigami?_

He ran in front of Ryuk, trying to grab Sora's key so he couldn't swing again. "Get out of the way Light!"

"Hyuk… never thought you'd be defending me," Ryuk snickered behind him. Ungrateful god of death…

"No!" Kira responded. "Put down the key," he ordered. Sora did nothing, trying to figure out how to get around him."I said," Light raised his tone, putting a hand on the now motionless key, "Put it down."

Sora obeyed, lowering his weapon, still staring at Ryuk wearily. Light let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, before 'guiding' Sora back to the bed and pushing him down. "Stay." He looked over at Ryuk. "Leave the room a minute, will you?"

Ryuk phased through the wall mumbling, "You don't have to tell me... this is interesting."

Sora's key disappeared, and he looked to Light with big eyes, "He listens to you?"

Light nodded, sitting down next to the kid, _how did that __**thing **__just disappear?_

Sora thought about it. "Are you a good guy?"

Light looked at him curious, surprised by the question. Then, "Yes, I am."

Sora smiled, "Wow. How'd ya train him?"

Kira smiled back, "I'll show you if you promise not to take back out that key."

The brunette nodded eagerly. "Sure, I promise! ... Unless there are more heartless."

Light lead him to the kitchen, calling out his Shinigami's name to let him know it was safe to come out.

Ryuk floated into the room, looking at Sora just as suspiciously as he was looking back. Then Light opened the fridge, "The trick," he handed a bag to Sora, "is apples."


	5. of Heroes and Villains

_A/N: Look! I updated! Please don't kill me. I was busy. I should be building a roller coaster right now… Anyway, I hope you like the chapter fiends!  
_

_

* * *

  
_

**Emergency**

_5. of Heroes and Villains_

Sora looked from the bag of red apples to Ryuk with wonder. "Hmm…" He picked up the bag, yanking out an apple. "So he eats these?" Sora questioned.

Light nodded encouragingly. "Ryuk won't hurt you. Right Ryuk?" Light gave him a menacing look from behind the shorter brunette.

Ryuk nodded his oversized head, eyes now locked on the apple Sora was tossing up and down. It looks so tasty…

"You want this?" the keybearer asked teasingly, as if dealing with a puppy.

Ryuk nodded feverishly.

"Really?" Sora was smiling, tossing the apple quicker than before. "You want it Ryuk?"

The Shinigami did not like this, being mocked. He was the god after all, even if the kid _could _hurt him. He leaped for the apple, Sora yelping as Ryuk fell on him before drawing back with the juicy fruit in hand.

Kira pulled Sora up gently, trying to calm him lest he summon that huge key again. "It's okay. You just shouldn't have teased him. He is a person you know," even if he is ugly and useless.

Sora stared as Ryuk devoured an apple as only a god of death can, gorily and quickly. When Ryuk finished, the boy turned to Light in amazement, "How did you train him to eat apples instead of hearts?"

"Um… excuse me?"

---

Needless to say everyone was exhausted when they finally landed in Tokyo. Near was half-asleep, leaning against Mello as they exited the plane terminal. Mello was too annoyed to even glare at anyone, simply taking out his fake ID and mumbling femininely whenever a security guard addressed them. Only the two red heads were fully alert, Kairi because she had to think now and think hard. And Matt had the hardest job of all, keeping them together and finding a safe place to stay.

The princess was worried, looking around the large airport with worry. How would she even find Riku? Beyond the windows was a city larger than her home town, or any place she'd ever been before. There was so much ground to cover…

"I think we should call for a cab," Matt sighed, looking around for a pay phone.

Mello and Near collapsed on a bench. The blonde raised his head, not too tired to be right, "You don't speak Japanese Matt."

Matt glared at his friend. "So what do you propose we do then Mel?"

Near mumbled something along the lines of "sleep good," before falling onto the blonde's lap. Mello raised an eyebrow, Near must be really tired.

Kairi froze as they spoke, her face lighting up in a tentative smile. The gamer followed her line of vision to a teenager sleeping on a bench just outside the airport doors. He had silver hair like Near's splayed all about, clutching a black notebook to his chest as he slept.

Kairi dashed out the doors, toward the man, "H-hey! Wait up!" Matt ran after her.

The blonde looked down at the lump on his lap, growling. "I'm going to kill them all…" He pulled the albino to his feet and dragged him out after the two red heads.

"Riku!" Kairi exclaimed, shaking the sleeping teen. "Riku! Is it you? Wake up!"

"Ugh," Riku grumbled tiredly, trying to shake off the attacker until he opened his eyes.

His green eyes met Kairi's, teary and joyous. "Kairi?" Then realization hit him, "Kairi." He hugged her, dropping the notebook and holding her to his chest. "I thought Ansem had you. I'm so sorry Kairi…"

She smiled up at him. "You don't have to be. You're safe now, that's all that matters." Riku snorted, she was the damsel, not him.

The other three watched the intimate scene surprised, Matt looked a bit dreary as they hugged. Mello put an arm around his friend, dropping Near, whispering, "It's okay Matt." Matt tried to smile back at him, but it was pained.

Meanwhile, the albino fell to the ground from lack of support, waking up when he hit the sidewalk.

Riku looked around, finally taking in the people around him and his best friend. Loosening his embrace to a one armed hug, he looked at Kairi's new friends. "Who're they?"

Kairi giggled, still high from finding Riku. "That's Matt, Mello and… Near." She looked down, "Why is he on the ground?"

Mello smiled happily, "Because I didn't want to carry him anymore."

Riku shivered, this wasn't a very nice boy. And poor Kairi had endured him for who knows how long to find him. Riku turned to her, "How did you escape?"

"I followed the heartless to you."

His eyes widened. "Are you nuts? They could've killed you!"

She smiled. "But they didn't."

Matt interrupted. "Don't worry, I took care of her." Mello dropped his arm, great, Matt was being territorial.

Riku gave him a skeptic look to match Matt's attitude, "I'm sure you did."

Near shook his head, sitting up on the concrete as he yawned. How did he get down here? Then he remembered what happened, looking up at Riku to confirm his recollection. The albino then looked back down, pulling a notebook out from under him. His eyes just barely widened before returning indifferent. He quietly slipped the book under his shirt, sticking it in his pants like Mello did to carry his chocolate.

No one noticed him at all until he stood up, Kairi exclaiming "Are you all right?" in an attempt to draw the conversation away from her.

Near nodded. "I am fine." He noticed an old man several paces away, standing under an umbrella and looking toward the group questioningly. "I think someone is looking for us," Near informed everyone. Then he went over to Mello and whispered, "Over there, its Watari."

---

Watari reached into his coat, stealthily calling L.

_ "Hello."_

"I've found the children. They have two people with them, not one."

_"I see, have they noticed you yet?"_

"Near and Mello have, the rest have been alerted to my presence as well. Would you like me to make contact now?"

_"… Yes. But alert Mello and Near to our suspicions as soon as possible."_ This is bad. There was only supposed to be one.

"What if one of them possesses a Death Note?"

_"Do not give them your name. And on the chance they can kill with just a face, do not leave them alone. Give the cell phone to Mello and Near once you arrive at the café." _

"Of course," Watari hung up, taking in a deep breath before finally approaching.

Once inside their circle, Watari realized all of them were teenagers. They were silent, and then: "What are you doing here?" asked Matt.

"I am here to pick you up," his voice was the voice of a kind old man, one that the boys remembered.

Matt looked enthusiastic, "Will we get to meet –"

Watari smiled under his mustache, "perhaps, but first I am taking you all out for something warm to drink."

Matt seemed cheery, things were finally looking up. "This is an old friend guys," he said to Kairi and Riku, who both seemed nervous. Kairi smiled though, taking Matt's hand just as she had taken Riku's, and followed him after the old man, dragging Riku after her.

The other two exchanged glances. "When did L find out?" Mello whispered.

"I don't know. Perhaps he thinks we are among Kira's henchmen," Near muttered back.

"I wouldn't put it past the silver guy."

"You only say that because Matt doesn't like him," Near pointed out.

Mello shushed him as they lagged behind the others, attempting to decipher Watari's motives.

---

Light lay on his bed, watching idly as Sora and Ryuk duked it out on Virtual Fighter 4. He didn't understand. How could this simple insane boy have his Death Note? He couldn't have it. No one can pretend to be this oblivious, not even Misa. So where was his book?

Kira watched Sora's spikes bounce up and down as he danced a victory dance, contemplating whether it was time to kill him yet. There had to be something he could use the boy for, he couldn't be completely useless.

No matter what I have to get his weapon from him before he dies. It can destroy gods of death, that will come in handy.

_Ring! Ring!_

Sora looked over to Light's cell phone, answering it without thinking. "Hello!"

L blinked in surprise on the other line. That didn't sound like Light-kun. It was too cheery to say the least, and too masculine to be Misa. _"Hello? May I speak to Light Yagami."_

Sora smiled, handing the phone to Kira. "It's for you."

"For future reference, don't answer my phone for me," Light hissed at Sora before uncovering the mouth piece. "Hello?"

Unfortunately for Light, L still heard him scold. _"Light-kun, this is Ryuzaki."_

Light batted at Sora who was trying to listen in like a nosy school-girl. "Ah. I'm busy right now. _I said move!_ – Sorry, What is it you called for?"

Too busy for L… how strange._ "Do you have a boyfriend too?"_ L inquired. He heard Light give out an annoyed breath through the phone._ "Or is it Kira-kun is plotting against me?"_

Light's eyes widened in anger, "Will you stop accusing me? How many times do I have to say I'm not Kira!" He looked at Sora in panic for a moment, but Sora didn't look frightened Light might be a killer, he simply looked confused. Light calmed down and said quietly, "What is it you called for Ryuzaki?"

L swirled in his chair. "Do you know if anyone is at the airport?"

Light tilted his had confused. "The airport? No, what do you mean? No one from task force is there." Why was L asking him about the airport?

L smiled contently. So Light wasn't aware of any suspicious guests of Tokyo, or else he would've tried to cover his tracks. _"Thank you."_

And then the line went dead. "Freak…" Kira mumbled, hanging up and pocketing his cell.

Sora was staring at him eagerly.

Light narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"Who's Kira?" Sora shouted enthusiastically. Light's eyes widened, covering the boy's mouth.

"Not so loud Sora!" Slowly he let go.

"Why not? Who's Kira? Why can't I say her name out loud?"

Light sighed, taking Sora's hands and sitting down next to him. "Sora…, "he narrowed his eyes a moment, "Kira is a man… in my opinion. Anyway," he looked Sora in the eye, contemplating. Should he lie like he always does, even though Sora could probably put the pieces together already if he wanted to… or should he tell the truth since Sora will die soon anyway?

Light softened his expression, looking for sympathy in Sora's eyes. He found it. "I'm… Kira."

Sora looked confused. "Is Kira… a bad person?"

Light smiled weakly. "No. I told you, I'm a good guy. But some people… like Ryuzaki, they don't like what I do…"

Sora nodded understandingly. "So what is it you do?"

"I… get rid of criminals."

Sora grinned. "Hey… that's a lot like what I do."

Light's act fell apart for a moment. His eyebrows knotted, "What?"

Sora started bouncing again. "I defeat bad guys, and their cronies and stuff. Heartless, Nobodies, I get rid of them all!" He thought about it. "Especially villains. And villains are like criminals!" He was still smiling.

Kira ogled the keyblader in amazement. How could someone who killed just like him be so god damned happy about it?

Sora continued to beam at him. So, he _was_ crazy.

Ryuk floated in, munching on the last apple. "If you were as optimistic as this kid you'd have more followers."

Kira scowled at his Shinigami, shooing him out.

Sora watched as he closed the door and locked it. It was just them now. Light smiled at Sora, trying not to reveal how twisted he felt inside at the moment.

Sora wondered for the first time if he wasn't completely safe with Light. What if Light thought he was a criminal too?


End file.
